The Health and Safety Authority (HSA), working with the Construction Safety Partnership Advisory Committee (CSPAC), has launched the Safe Plan of Action (SPA) — a practical, single‑page planning tool designed to help construction crews prepare to work safely and prevent incidents before they occur. Built on the principle that "safety starts with a plan", the SPA bridges the gap between high‑level documentation and clear, task‑by‑task actions on site.

Speaking at the launch at Dublin Airport, Eibhlín O'Leary, Assistant Chief Executive with the HSA, said, "Planning work safely is a core requirement under health and safety legislation. The Safe Plan of Action is designed to support construction teams identify hazards, agree control measures and clearly set out how work will be carried out before it begins. By focusing on how individual tasks are carried out, the SPA will help to prevent incidents and support safer working practices across construction sites."

The SPA is a site‑ready A3 template that can be completed quickly at the start of a day or week. It guides crews to agree the task, identify hazards, specify control measures, list any permits and PPE, and record a team briefing. Dedicated signature fields for the supervisor, translator and crew reinforce the duty to communicate safety information in a form and language everyone understands.

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Designed to complement existing Risk Assessment Method Statements (RAMS), the SPA translates them into actionable steps on the ground and supports the Project Supervisor Construction Stage (PSCS) in coordinating health and safety during the build phase.

Eamonn Stapleton, Co‑Chair of the Construction Safety Partnership Advisory Committee (CSPAC), added, "Employers need safety tools that are clear and workable on live construction sites. The Safe Plan of Action provides a practical structure for planning work at task level, helping contractors identify hazards and controls without excessive paperwork. It is a proportionate tool that can be applied across projects of different sizes and supports safer, more organised site operations."

The SPA prompts users to consider:

- Task steps and the resources required

- Common construction hazards (for example, moving plant, work at height and live services)

- Permits and authorisations needed before starting

- Control measures to eliminate or reduce risks

Welcoming the new approach, John Murphy, Co‑Chair of the Construction Safety Partnership Advisory Committee (CSPAC), said: "From a worker perspective, effective safety begins with clear information that people can understand and apply to the work in front of them. The Safe Plan of Action supports clearer briefings and better understanding at crew level. This is particularly important on busy and multilingual sites, where clear communication is essential to preventing injury and ill health."

By encouraging crews to plan together, the SPA supports better coordination, helps reduce downtime and rework caused by unforeseen hazards, and offers practical compliance support for micro and small contractors who need simple, low‑paper tools to meet their legal duties.

The template is especially useful on diverse or multilingual sites, with space to note briefing languages, support interpreters and confirm that all workers have understood the safety information provided.

The SPA template — available as a printable A3 sheet and an interactive PDF — can be downloaded from hsa.ie. The initiative was launched on 30 April 2026 as part of ongoing CSPAC efforts to improve on‑site planning and reduce construction incidents.